Winter heating allowance

System

This discussion was created from comments split from: NHS Pension Questions......

viv0147

I live alone at 76 years of age and the cost of living has hit hard, I get a pension and savings credit, and I have help with my rent and council tax will I qualify for the winter heating allowance? Thanks 

MallyGirl

viv0147 said:

I live alone at 76 years of age and the cost of living has hit hard, I get a pension and savings credit, and I have help with my rent and council tax will I qualify for the winter heating allowance? Thanks 

I have asked for this to be moved to a thread of its own on the benefits board.

MSE_ForumTeam5

Moved as per @MallyGirl's suggestion

peteuk

I believe pension credits does allow the winter fuel payment.  Below is taken from the gov payment

You can get a Winter Fuel Payment for Winter 2024 to 2025 if you were born before 23 September 1958.

You must also live in England or Wales and get one of the following:

• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Income Support

Kittylitter_030507

I live in Northern Ireland and I get Income Related ESA in the support group. We get the couples rate. I am 59 years old and my husband is 78 years old, so the Winter Fuel payment was always based on his eligibility. However he does not get pension credit as he only worked for 19 years in Italy before moving here, so didn't have enough contributions to qualify. So I'm not sure if we'll get it if it's based only on pension credit. The ESA we get is my claim although we get the couples rate, so I'm really worried. Can someone please clarify?

Rubyroobs

Kittylitter_030507 said:

I live in Northern Ireland and I get Income Related ESA in the support group. We get the couples rate. I am 59 years old and my husband is 78 years old, so the Winter Fuel payment was always based on his eligibility. However he does not get pension credit as he only worked for 19 years in Italy before moving here, so didn't have enough contributions to qualify. So I'm not sure if we'll get it if it's based only on pension credit. The ESA we get is my claim although we get the couples rate, so I'm really worried. Can someone please clarify?

It says in Peteuk's post above that if you are in receipt of Income related ESA then you will get it. No pensioner is going to have an ESA claim in their name as ESA ends at pension age, so assume it must be awarded if the pensioner is part of a couple where one claims ESA.

peteuk

Kittylitter_030507 said:

I live in Northern Ireland and I get Income Related ESA in the support group. We get the couples rate. I am 59 years old and my husband is 78 years old, so the Winter Fuel payment was always based on his eligibility. However he does not get pension credit as he only worked for 19 years in Italy before moving here, so didn't have enough contributions to qualify. So I'm not sure if we'll get it if it's based only on pension credit. The ESA we get is my claim although we get the couples rate, so I'm really worried. Can someone please clarify?

I would say not!  As husband is not on PC - he wont get it and as your born after 1958 with what I’ve copied from the Gov website your too young,  However Im not sure that this carries to N.I….

poppy12345

Kittylitter_030507 said:

I live in Northern Ireland and I get Income Related ESA in the support group. We get the couples rate. I am 59 years old and my husband is 78 years old, so the Winter Fuel payment was always based on his eligibility. However he does not get pension credit as he only worked for 19 years in Italy before moving here, so didn't have enough contributions to qualify. So I'm not sure if we'll get it if it's based only on pension credit. The ESA we get is my claim although we get the couples rate, so I'm really worried. Can someone please clarify?

The new rules apply to England and Wales only. I can't seem to find anything for this year for N.I. 

Spoonie_Turtle

nidirect.gov.uk doesn't have any up-to-date info about the WFP, it still refers to 2023/24.

Latest info I can find for NI is a BBC article from 3-4weeks ago saying ministers have to decide what to do, including having to work out how they could fund the shortfall if they wanted to maintain the universal payment https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjqe895zv3zo

HillStreetBlues

Spoonie_Turtle said:

nidirect.gov.uk doesn't have any up-to-date info about the WFP, it still refers to 2023/24.

Latest info I can find for NI is a BBC article from 3-4weeks ago saying ministers have to decide what to do, including having to work out how they could fund the shortfall if they wanted to maintain the universal payment https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjqe895zv3zo

As of today a decision still hasn't been made.
https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/ni-winter-fuel-payments-update-29798152